“Twelve beauties in the skin”: one of GAINSBOURG’s first songs.

Serge Gainsbourg (1928.1991)

Signed autograph notes – Twelve beauties in the skin.

Two in-4° pages on Floch printing paper.

Without place or date [Paris. 1986]

 

Serge Gainsbourg, in preparation for his anthology, Mon propre rôle , extensively corrected and validated, in black felt-tip pen, the proofs of his song Douze belles dans la peau, one of the flagship titles, with Le Poinçonneur des Lilas, from his first album (25 cm ) Du chant à la une!…, released in 1958. The said 25 cm, praised by Boris Vian, received the Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros in 1959.

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When you have twelve beauties under your skin

Two duchesses and ten typists

What more will you get otherwise?

If not a little lead

 

A little lead in the wing

No more in the brain

When you've spent your loot

In all the boxes with a shotgun

 

You'll never be anything but a pigeon

With a little lead

A little lead in the wing

No more in the brain

 

When in the heat of passion

On the scales of nylon stockings

You will climb you will climb

After that what will you have?

 

You'll have lead in the wing

No more in the brain

When you have loved in all directions

And your chickens will no longer have teeth

To eat your heart in your hand

Well, my clever one.

 

You'll have lead in the wing

No more in the brain

 

And when you have spent your life

Behind the bars of your bed

You'll say you got paid for it

Well yes and then after

 

You'll have lead in the wing

No more in the brain

 

But maybe you won't live long.

With your twelve beauties in your skin

You'll run into a guy one day

A guy who will send you

 

Lead in the brain

And you will grow wings

OK

SG

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Bibliography:

My own role . Denoël. 1987